Railway refrigerator car



April 22, 1941. A. F. o'coNNoR RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed March 3,

InUen for:

Patented Apr. 22, l1941 RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR Arthur F. OConnor, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Union Asbestos & Rubber Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application March 3, 1939, Serial No. 259,541

Claims.

My invention relates to refrigerator cars for the transportation of perishable commodities, such as meats, fruits, vegetables, eggs, sh, etc., wherein it is essential that a cool, even temperature be maintained during transit.

The invention relates particularly to insulate refrigerator cars having overhead refrigerant containers, extending longitudinally of the car, adjacent the ceiling, with drip pans underlying the containers, ducts adjacent the side walls of can a foraminous loading rack or licor spaced from and overlying the oor of car, and aircommunicating means between refrigerant containers, side wall ducts, the space defined by the car floor and f-oraminous loading oor, :and lading compartment,y providing means for a continuous circulation of air, in a substantially circular course, through refrigerant compartment, side wall ducts, noor duct, lading compartment land thence into refrigerant compartment, where the air is re-chilled andthe circuit repeated.

The object of my invention is to provide a more equal distribution of cold air in the car than hasheretofore been obtained in cars having overhead refrigerant containers, with underlying drip pans and wall ducts.

Another object is to provide increased loading capacity of the car, as compared with the conventional use of ice compartments located in each end of car, extending from floor to ceiling and occupying from six to seven feet of the car floor area.

Another object is to provide means for shortening the length of the path or circuit ofthe air, from refrigerant compartment to lading' compartment and return, which circuit extends from end ice compartment toabout the lateral center of car, or about seventeen feet, in the conventional refrigerator car. My invention will shorten this length of air circuit to about four feet las it causes the air to circulate in a direction transversely of the car instead of longitudinally of the car. 'I'his shortening of the air circuit will lower thetemperature of and accelerate the movement of the circulating air as the circulating air will contact the refrigerant at shorter intervals than in the conventional car with end ice compartments.

Another object is to provide improved means for cooperatively joining the drip pan and side.

wall duct at their point of convergence and prevent the dissipation of the chilled air, descending from refrigerant compartment into wall duct (as by the chilledA air entering lading compartment),

, cated a refrigerant container 1 wall duct, and the attendantv impairment of the wall duct as a means of inducing the descending chilled air to carry to .the lair space defined by the foraminous loading iloor and the car floor.

Another object isto provide circulation ofA air in the lading compartment, adjacent Ithe area of convergence of drip pan and wall duct, which area is not within .the normal path of the -circulating air, and which results in a stagnant air condition in this area when drip'pan and wall of side duct are uninterruptedly joined together. This stagnant air condition will result in the lading, 4within this area, being warmer than the lading within the path ofthe circulating air, causing deterioration, loss of or lowered market valueof the` affected. lading'.

Another object is to provide means for syphoning the air in lading compartment, adjacent point of convergence of' drip pan and wall duct, into wall duct. As the air is syphoned from the lading compartment it will cause a like amount of the cooler air in lading compartment to replace it, thereby causinga movement of and continuout change of air in the aforementioned area.

The drawing accompanying this specification represents, inFigure 1, a transverse cross-section of the car containingmy invention, taken on line I-l of Figure 2, while Figure 2 represents a longitudinal,cross-section of the cantaken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In the drawing, the car comprises an insulated roof l, spaced apart insulated walls 2, insulated end wall 3, and any insulated oor 4 Adjacent to and spaced from ceiling 5 and wall 6 is lo- A refrigerant compartment-deiining partition 8 is provided adjacent to andspaced from the bottom wall of refrigerant container 1, providing an air space 9, intermediate the container and said partition.

Vertical air ducts Ill are provided adjacent walls 6l and comprise walls Il, spaced from and parallel to walls 6, terminating at their. upper marginal portions below containers 1, and at their lower marginal portions above Hoor 4, An air space I2 is provided between floor 4 and a raised, foraminous floor or floor rack I3, which is supportetlli upon floor 4, intermediate air ducts Iii- As'the several portions of the car are alike, on either side of the center, Iy will proceed to further describe` but one-half only of' my invention.

The refrigerant containers may comprise a row or series of separate, spaced apart, sheet metal containers or foraminous baskets and may be adjacent the area of-convergenceof drippan and. 55. mountedin the car adjacent to and spaced from longitudinal center of car, ceiling 5 and Wall 6, and may be supported upon cross-beams I5, which in turn may be supported by vertical posts IS or by other suitable portions of framework of car.

Partition 8 preferably comprises an upstanding wall portion I'I, spaced from and adjacent to longitudinal center of car and vertical Wall portion of refrigerant container nearest to said longitudinal center of car, terminating at its upper marginal portion below ceiling 5 and, at its lower marginal portion, merging with a substantially horizontally extending and, preferably, outwardly and downwardly inclined portion I8, in underlying, spaced, substantially parallel relation to bottom wall of refrigerant container and converging with wall Il adjacent side wall 6 of car, as best illustrated in Fig. l of drawing.

The drip pan I9 comprises a thicknessfof sheet metal or other suitable water-proof material, which preferably covers the inside area of wall portions Il and I8, adjacent container 'I, providing means for directing the meltage, condensation and chilled air in refrigerant compartment, into duct I8, from whence the chilled vair enters air space Iadjacent floor 4 and lthe moisture enters a suitable trough or gutter 20, which may eX- tend longitudinally of car and which may be provided with suitable outlet pipes 2| or any of the conventional moisture outlets for refrigerator cars. Drip pan IS is preferably made with an upstanding portion |911 and` a substantially horizontal portion I9, which latter portion extends outwardly, terminating adjacent wall 6 in a depending wall portion 22, in overlapping relation to wall II, in intermediate, spaced relation to walls 6 and II, Drip pan I9 may extend longitudinally of car, in underlying, spaced relation to refrigerant container I, and is preferably made as a unit of sufficient length to enclose the lower portions of a row or series of containers, and may be provided, adjacent its lateral end portions, with an upturned portion 23. Partition 8 may be supported by cross-beams I5 and wall II, or vertical posts IB, by brackets 24 and 25,

Containers 'I may be provided with hatches kor openings 25, providing means for lling the containers with'refrigerant and may be provided, in the case of sheet metal containers, with apertures in the side walls thereof, providing overflow means for excess meltage andtheretention of a predetermined amount of the chilled liquid, as salt brine, which has been found to be of value as a refrigerant, due to the low temperature of said liquid.

The air space betwen skirt 22 and wall Il is preferably smaller than the air space between skirt 22 and wall 6 and, where skirt 22 comprises a sheet metal member, the spacing of said member may -be maintained by the use of spacing blocks, washers, ferrules, etc., placed intermediate said member and adjacent wall and secured in place as by nailing through the Wall, spacer and skirt member.

The function of my invention may be explained as follows:

As the air in the refrigerant compartment contacts the refrigerant it is cooled and densied, causing it to move in a downward direction, through gravity, following the partition walls I'I and I8, into duct I0, thence moving in a horizontal direction into air space I2, from whence it rises through foraminous floor I3, replacing the warmer air in lading compartment, as the latter rises through air space I4 and enters refrigerant compartment for re-chilling. As long as refrigerant remains in the containers, a continuous lcirculation of air will be induced by the gravity actuated, cooled, descending air in duct IU, which causes a like amount of Warm air to enter refrigerant compartment, through air space I4. This circulation is also induced by the natural tendency of the warmer air in lading compartment to rise, causing a drag or pull upwardly, thereby causing the cooled air in space I2 to rise through the apertures in floor I3.

The natural course or path of the circulating air is indicated on drawings by arrows and it will be seen that the path of said circulating air tends to avoid the space defined by line 28 and walls Il and I8, which results in said space being a comparatively dead air area, if Walls II and I8 are tightly joined together at point of convergence of said walls. This results in the lading being warmer within this area than the lading in other parts of lading compartment, causing deterioration, sp-oilage and lowered market value of contents of car upon reaching destination. It will be noted that this dead air area covers approximately one halfI of the total area of lading compartment; in other words, one half of the lading comes within the natural path of the circulating air, causing one half only of the load to be cooled by the cooling apparatus.

Where walls II and I8 are provided with an unrestricted opening at point of convergence of said walls, the chilled air (descending from refrigerant compartment to duct I0) is dissipated at this point, as by entering the lading compartment through said opening, resulting in a shortcircuiting of the essential circular path of the circulating air, andl resulting in the impairment of duct I8 as a means for inducing the chilled air to descend through duct I0 to a point Where it will enter the air space adjacent floor 4.

My invention is designed to eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages of an unrestricted opening or a tightly closed joint at point of convergence of walls II and I8 and comprises a skirt or deecting member 22, which may be formed as the marginal portion of drip panIB orwhich may be operatively secured to drip pan I9 or t0 any suitable portion of the car, adjacent point of convergence of Walls II and I8, in a manner to cause the cooled air, descending from refrigerant compartment, to enter duct lIII at a point below upper edge of duct wall II, in an uninterrupted manner. Inasmuch as chilled air descends by gravity it will be seen that the descending chilled air in duct I0 will not enter lading compartment adjacent the skirted opening as the air would have to ris-e in order to enter lading compartment at this point.

vThe descending chilled air, adjacent skirt 22, will provide a syphoning action at this point, causing the air in the area defined by walls II, I8 and line 28, to be suctioned into duct IU, which, in turn, will cause a like amount of cooled air, in lading compartment, to move in and replace the warmer air which has been syphoned into duct I0.

The space `between skirt member 22 and Wall II will, preferably, be smaller than the space between skirt member 22 and wall 6, although these spaces may be of any desired proportions. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that communicating means, between lading compartment and duct I0, adjacent point of convergence of walls Il and I8, may comprise apertures of various kinds, with skirted or hooded means of various shapes and of varying lengths may be used in place of the means disclosed in the accompanying drawing, to accomplish the same results and, While I have shown and described what I now consider to be the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. In combination with the ceiling, side walls and licor of a refrigerator car; refrigerant containers adjacent the ceiling and side walls of the car, a lading compartment adjacent and underlying the refrigerant containers, having a ceiling, side walls and a foraminous floor in adjacent, substantially parallel, spaced relation to said first named ceiling, side walls and floor, respectively, said last named ceiling terminating along its outer margin adjacent the upper margin of said last named side wall, and said foraminous floor terminating along its outer margin substantially coincident with the lower margin of said last named side wall, providing intercommunicating air spaces intermediate said lading compartment and the ceiling, side Walls and floor of car, said lading compartment ceiling and side walls being substantially closed except for a longitudinally extending aperture in the lading compartment ceiling adjacent longitudinal center of car, providing air communicating means between lading compartment and refrigerant containers, and an aperture adjacent point of convergence of lading compartment ceiling and adjacent lading compartment side wall, said longitudinally extending aperture being provided with spaced apart, upstanding wall members cooperatively secured to adjacent marginal portions ofy lading compartment ceiling, and terminating along their upper margins below ceiling of car, the aperture adjacent point of convergence of lading compartment ceiling and adjacent lading compartment side wall having a deiiector member cooperatively associated therewith to direct the movement of air therethrough, in a direction from lading compartment toward side will of car, in a downward direction.

2. In a refrigerator car having a wall structure including a ceiling, a side wall and a floor, the combination of partition means cooperating with said wall structure to form a cooling chamber adjacent the ceiling and a storage chamber adjacent the cooling chamber and located below the same, a foraminous rack adjacent to and spaced from said floor to support the lading in said storage chamber and form an air space between the lading and floor', said partition means com-- prising a portion forming a wall of an air duct adjacent said side wall, the lower end of which duct communicates with the air space between the lading and the floor and the upper end of which communicates with the cooling chamber, said partition means comprising an upstanding wall portion the upper margin of which terminates adjacent to and below the ceiling and the lower margin of which engages a cooling chamber floor portion inclined downwardly from its inner margin to its outer margin and inclined with respect to the first mentioned portion, said partition means havingan aperture adjacent the intersection of the planes of the cooling chamber fioor and the rst mentioned portion, said aperture providing for circulation between the storage chamber and said duct, and a -deflector member at said aperture, whereby air passing therethrough in a direction from the storage chamber towards the duct will be compelled to pass downwardly and to enter said duct directly after passing said aperture and said deector member.

3. In combination with the ceiling, side walls and floor of a refrigerator car; refrigerant containers adjacent said ceiling and side walls, a lading compartment adjacent and underlying the refrigerant containers, said compartment having a ceiling, side walls and a foraminous floor in adjacent spaced relation to said rst named ceiling, side walls and floor, respectively, the lading compartment ceiling terminating adjacent its outer margin adjacent the upper margin of the lading compartment side wall, said foraminous licor terminating adjacent its cuter margin substantially coincident with the lower margin of said last named side wall, providing intercommunicating air spaces intermediate said lading compartment and the ceiling, side walls and floor of the car, an air passage in the lading compartment ceiling intermediate the opposed lading compartment side walls adapted to provide air communication between the lading compartment and said refrigerant containers, and an aperture adjacent the intersection of the planes of the lading compartment ceiling and the adjacent side wall of said compartment, said aperture having a baille member cooperatively associated therewith adapted to direct a movement of air therethrough, in a direction from the lading compartment toward the side wall of the car, in a downward direction into the air space between the lading compartment side wall and adjacent side wall of car, said last named air being adapted to enter said last named air space immediately after leaving said last named aperture and associated baffle member.

4. In a refrigerator car having a ceiling, a side wall, a floor, wall means defining a refrigerant compartment adjacent said ceiling and a lading compartment adjacent and underlying `said refrigerant compartment, means forming a vertical duct adjacent said side wall providing air communication between said refrigerant compartment and said floor, means forming an aperture providing air communication between said lading compartment and said duct, and a deflector member mounted adjacent and extending in front of said aperture adapted to deflect a current of air passing through said aperture, in a direction away from said lading compartment and toward said duct, in a downward direction, said deector member being adapted to conduct said current of air directly into said duct.

5. In a refrigerator car having a ceiling, a side wall, a floor, wall means defining a refrigerant compartment adjacent said ceiling and a lading compartment adjacent and underlying said refrigerant compartment, means forming a vertical duct adjacent said side wall providing air communication between said refrigerant cornpartment and said floor, a vent providing air communication between said lading compartment and said duct, said vent having an opening entering upon said lading compartment and having an opposite opening entering said duct, and a deflector member adjacent one of said openings adapted to direct a moving current of air, in a direction away fromsaid lading compartment and through said vent, in a downward direction and directly into said duct.

ARTHUR F. OCONN OR. 

